I Found Out That I Have A Livable House In Rural Colombia, Thanks

I live in the mountains of Colombia. Four hours from one of the biggest cities in Colombia, Medellin. I shouldn’t say that it surprises me when people learn that I live in a real house with running water and a bathroom.

When I started coming to Colombia back in 2018, my entire family thought I would live in a cave or a “hut.” Maybe people I knew didn’t have youtube or the internet. An easy google search will show you luxury apartments nicer than some in NYC.

Yet even though it’s easy to search and find what somewhere looks like, when we find out someone we know is going to visit or live somewhere, it is automatically assumed the worst.

I started filming my travels, mainly showing real-life things. I am not a travel vlogger; I am an “I don’t live in a hut type of vlogger”. So my family and friends can see what my life is like now.

So ok, you have done your research, and you are aware that Medellin, Bogota, and Cartagena are legit cities and on the up and coming as digital nomad hot spots, if not already.

You are thinking, but Sara, you live in the mountains, in rural Colombia. You do not live in the city. So that makes me think if you tell me you live in a small town in the USA you live in a hut? No, of course, you do not; I mean, I will not judge if you do.

I grew up with an outhouse, no shade thrown your way. I long to go back to the off-grid lifestyle myself. Yet, at this moment, I am not off-grid, nor do I live in a “hut.”

I did a youtube video of the house that I live in and a breakdown of how much it costs. I live in a three-bedroom home on maybe 1/2 acre of land with a bathroom and hot water. That is important because not everywhere has hot water.

We live pretty luxurious for being country bumkins.

A few things about Colombian Fincas:

A second home for those who live in cities

Farmers who make a living off selling fruits and vegetables or animals

They are not because of poverty or laziness and do not want to work. The farmers in Colombia work harder than some people I have ever seen or met. Now don’t get me wrong, there is poverty here; there is a lot of poverty. There is also a lot of poverty in my home country, the good ole US of A.

Here they live in communas, which are neighborhoods within the city. If you have watched any series that depicts Colombia, most likely, this is the neighborhoods they try to have you see, and therefore this is what you think all of Colombia resembles.

There is a very famous communa called Communa 13; it used to be one of the most dangerous places in Medellin. It used to be the gateway for drugs to enter Medellin. I have been there twice on tours. And a friend used to live there.

To say it is revitalized is an understatement. The community has come alive in recent years. Where once there were shootings in the streets are now musicians. Where once there were mothers afraid to let their children walk outside, museums are showing what happened, and tour guides telling the stories of the history of communal 13.

This article is not about Communa 13, but it is an essential piece of Colombia’s history. Therefore so many of my friends and family assume that I live somewhere like that.

We like to focus on the bad parts of history instead of the good. We tend to do that in life, look at the bad, and forget the good.

The town I live in, well, now countryside, was also once a ghost town. Full of guerrillas hiding out in the woods, killing anyone that might be on the other side that what they stood for. Who knows, it could have been the neighbor who turns you in.

A town that almost all of the inhabitants once fled. They have almost all returned, earning a peace price in Colombia for the town’s revitalization. Revitalization overflows into the mountainside where I live. Children are playing in the streets, visiting me, getting to know the “gringa” next door.

Many people have started buying finca’s around here and fixing them up, so they have a summer and holiday home.

I am the only foreigner in my neighborhood. Yet never have I felt endangered.

They also never lived in huts; these houses are old and have been standing and have withstood wars within wars.

I have received comments on my recent “house tour” video saying, “that’s very livable”.

I have also received comments from Colombian’s pointing out the obvious of the country living in Colombia. One said he was shocked at how much I pay for rent, which is 61 USD a month. Also, he stated I am away from the amenities of the big city, which is the point of living rural; well, to me, it is.

Even when I have mentioned to my fellow students in the Spanish school, they are shocked that I live here. The professors as well, surprised and most have never visited this town.

So there is still a stigma of living in a small town, especially living outside the small town.

Yet some things to note. If I need to go into town, I can walk as it is only 7km or hitchhike; this is common since it is such a small town. I can also catch the bus that drives going to Medellin. It is prevalent here for buses to stop for anyone.

These are sort of like the greyhound in the US, except I can flag it down to stop for me, and it will. A lot of people here do not have a car or transportation. We have a moto, but I do not drive it.

A lot also ride their horses into town. There are also tuk-tuks or a moto-taxis. They will even take the dog and me!. It is effortless to catch on the main road, about 10 minutes walking down the hill.

So takeaways, I do not live in a hut; see video:). I love living in a small town, and if you are ever in Colombia, I have an extra bedroom.

What assumptions have you made about a country, and have you been wrong?